LONDON — On Tuesday afternoon, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the creation of a new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office — and his speech in the House of Commons gave worrying signals about his plans for government development policy, according to aid experts.
Johnson’s announcement of a merger between the Department for International Development and Foreign & Commonwealth Office was laden with references to the U.K.’s national interest.
Many in the U.K. development sector fear that the merger will see aid spending diverted from its intended purpose of poverty alleviation and toward foreign policy priorities. They also worry that it could see spending transparency and effectiveness reduced.